


Bus Rules

by randomling



Category: Popslash
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-26
Updated: 2007-12-26
Packaged: 2017-10-11 05:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/108743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomling/pseuds/randomling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance always follows the rules.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bus Rules

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ephemera](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ephemera).



"I'm bored," Justin says for the millionth time.

Lance is bored too, but he's not going to admit it now, as he uncrosses and crosses his legs and channel-hops yet again. Right now, he could kill Joey for switching buses. Justin's been prowling up and down the living area for almost an hour now, whining, and Lance is sick and tired of it. As Lance glances over his shoulder, Justin is glancing at his watch.

"Waiting for something?" Lance asks. He wonders if Chris and Joey are having some kind of heart-to-heart on the other bus. Or a threesome with JC.

"No," Justin says. "I'm just _bored,_ yo."

Lance sighs, tosses the remote onto the couch, gets up, goes over to where Justin is hovering by the kitchenette. "Okay. What do you want to do?" They've had this conversation six times already since they got on the bus, and it always goes the same way. Justin shrugs, and though he's almost twenty-one, it's pure teenager. Lance tries not to roll his eyes.

"I don't know, man," Justin says. "You guys don't even have Playstation over here."

This is because Playstation games cause Joey to shout and swear at the screen and make Lance crazy.

"We could watch a movie?" Lance suggests, though they've been down this road before. "Uh, the Matrix is on."

Justin shakes his head, moves past Lance and flings himself onto the couch, long limbs all over the place. He looks at his watch again. "How long have we been here?"

Lance checks the time. "Maybe an hour?"

"Cool!" says Justin, suddenly grinning. He leaps up, bounces over the back of the couch and dives for his backpack.

Lance cocks his head.

***

Justin comes back with a baby-blue, ring-bound notebook with "THE RULES" printed on the front cover in Chris's spidery handwriting. He settles himself on the couch and beckons Lance over. Lance sits next to Justin, perplexed.

"Take a look," says Justin, handing over the book.

Lance opens the cover. This is Chris's handwriting too. _We, the undersigned, hereby undertake to abide by the rules contained in this book in order to avoid driving each other crazy on a communal bus._ It's signed off, first by Chris, then JC, then Justin. Lance makes a small approving noise in his throat: why didn't he and Joey think of this?

Lance glances at Justin, who's watching him with seriously intense eyes. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Just flick through," says Justin with a small, impatient gesture.

Lance turns the first page.

_1\. We will respect each other's personal space at all times. Justin, this means YOU._

_2\. Nobody will play their guitar at four in the morning when the others are trying to sleep. No, JC, not even if you really HAVE to write this song._

_3\. NO PHONE SEX._ (This in Justin's handwriting. Next to, it Chris has added _while the others are awake.)_

Informative, but not terribly interesting. Lance thumbs the pages and sees that the notebook is almost full, the pages dog-eared and well-read. He opens at a random page.

_76\. On the subject of towels..._

That one goes on for half a page.

_104\. No hiding JC's underwear._

Lance chuckles at that one. It's at this point that Justin grabs the book from him, hunts hurriedly through the pages and then thrusts it back in Lance's face, his index finger pointing to a particular rule. Lance reads the rule:

_223\. If friends spend more than an hour unable to decide what to do, they must default to sexual experimentation._

Lance blinks, mostly because the phrasing is weird. It's in JC's handwriting, which makes sense, because, JC, sex, yeah. He glances up at Justin, who's jiggling the book ever so slightly, impatient. Then he puts a hand on Justin's wrist to steady it, and, reflexively, Justin looks down at where they're touching.

"Justin, why _are_ you showing me this?" Lance asks again.

Justin smiles, looking up to meet Lance's eyes. "It's been more than an hour now, dude."

***

After almost two whole tours on a bus with Chris and JC, Lance wonders what in the hell counts as sexual experimentation for Justin these days. Hell, Lance himself has done almost everything he can think of with JC, and they don't even share accommodation most of the time. What weird sexual practises Justin hasn't tried, Lance isn't sure he wants to know.

It's a pleasant surprise, then, when all Justin does is lean forward and kiss him, soft and gentle, no tongue. It lasts just a moment, then Justin pulls away. Lance is still holding Justin's wrist, and Justin is still holding the book. With his free hand, Lance takes the book from Justin, flips it closed and puts it on the arm of the couch. Only then does he dare to look Justin in the face. Justin's looking... nervous.

"It's a rule, right?" Justin says uncertainly. "You gotta follow the rules."

Lance's answer is to kiss Justin back, sliding his hand up Justin's arm to his shoulder and then his neck. This time, there's tongue, and Justin's hands on either side of his waist, and heavy breathing. When Lance breaks away, he's smiling.

"You sure do."


End file.
